Published (updated: ) in Productivity.
The best note taking apps for Mac – markdown, open format, cross platform
With the release of iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 in 2016, Apple introduced a new version of Notes. It added a number of new features for formatting, drawing and sync using iCloud instead of via IMAP. It was lightweight, fast and simple. I started using it shortly afterwards and now have almost 1,000 notes ranging from book highlights to saved web pages to meeting notes to journal articles.
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Unfortunately, the iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 releases have been incredibly buggy. I have found that sync is inconsistent across devices (my MacBook, iPad and iPhone each register different numbers of notes) and some notes are not syncing at all. Search also stopped working before fixing itself, and now returns inferior results.
Considering how much information I have stored in Apple Notes, this made me reconsider what I wanted from a note taking app.
Requirements for a note taking appSimplicity
I only require basic formatting, images and tables. I’m not interested in fancy fonts or colours because the system is better at ensuring the formatting works across devices, screen sizes and rendering into the future e.g. if I ever need to increase font sizes. This means using Markdown formatting saved to a plain text file. Markdown is a well understood format that has many apps that can edit and render on any platform
Non-proprietary formatMicrosoft File Sync
The “new” Apple Notes app moved away from IMAP to an iCloud based format. This made sync work better (until recently) but was necessarily a proprietary database format. I can’t easily see or edit the individual notes on disk to make backups or import to another app. They are contained in a SQL Lite database in ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes alongside attachments and images organised by internal note IDs. It’s usually dangerous to meddle with app files like this.
Apple Notes doesn’t have an export option except individual notes as PDFs. The only way around this is using the Apple Privacy data download service which allows you to export Apple Notes as HTML with their associated attachments. This is how I have been keeping a backup of all my Apple Notes to date.
Ideally the app will allow editing of individual files on disk. I can then choose my own sync service and run backup as part of my normal approach using Arq. Any app should at least allow export of content to multiple formats.
Regular updates / actively maintained
The problem with Apple software is that their main revenue is generated by the core OS, not any of the apps. They are there to compliment the OS but there is no competitive incentive to keep them up to date, add new features and fix bugs.
The annual update cycle is a legacy from the old days of shipping physical software. This makes sense for annual iPhone hardware refreshes but is totally outdated for shipping software. Microsoft updates Office every month and Windows every 6 months. How do you report bugs or get support for Apple Notes? You can’t.
My experience with the poor quality of these latest Apple releases has changed my approach – if I am going to rely on software then I want the developer to be properly incentivised to maintain it i.e. I need to pay them directly for it.
This is one reason why I use and pay for 1Password vs using Apple iCloud Keychain (as well as all the other features 1Password has). It’s also why I don’t mind the move to subscription business models for software.
Search
My approach to note taking is to save the full text and associated files of things I find interesting or useful so I can search them in the future.
Spotlight Search on macOS is very good (and has some advanced options). Even though I keep my files well organised, I regularly use it to find things because it is quicker and searches inside documents. For some reason, Apple Notes are not searchable from Spotlight though, so I have to search twice – in Spotlight and in Notes.app. I would prefer to have everything searchable from Spotlight, or any other search tool.
Cross-platform
This is not a requirement but rather a “nice to have” if the app I use on macOS also has an iOS equivalent. If all the above requirements are met, I can easily edit open file formats from different apps on different platforms.
My Macbook Air (13″ 2018) is only a year old so I have no plans to replace it soon, although have had to send it in for 1 keyboard replacement already. I don’t mind the feel of this keyboard but the reliability is poor.
Given the state of Apple software quality and the general problems with the Macbook keyboards, I have been following Microsoft’s Surface products with interest. The Surface Laptop 3 is very nice. I’ve been into the London Microsoft store to have a play and I’m eager to see the Surface Pro X when it is released. I’m just unsure about Windows. Over a decade ago it was Windows Vista that forced me to move to Mac due to the poor quality. I’m not quite there with macOS yet but am unhappy with it.
Evaluating note taking apps
All together I have been re-evaluating my choice of key software to ensure that I’m tied to the Apple ecosystem as little as possible. I already use Office365 for my email and calendar but have also started to move my files to OneDrive from iCloud Drive (I’m glad I didn’t try the recent macOS betas!). What’s the difference? I pay Microsoft for these services and they are regularly updated (unlike iCloud for Windows) and maintained, probably because they directly generate $billions of direct revenue.
Ultimately, my goal is to be flexible in which platform I use, selected based on the best core OS and hardware. I don’t want to be restricted by apps and file formats that only work on a single platform. macOS remains the best OS for now (including for privacy) but I don’t want to be locked to it.
My recommended note taking apps
Based on reviewing all the apps below, these are the best notes apps for Mac:
Bear
Bear was my favourite app purely for Apple devices. Good tag support, Markdown rendering, strong search (including Spotlight integration), encrypted notes, embedded images and attachments, and multiple export options. I particularly liked the helper mechanism when linking between notes, which maintains the link even if you rename a note.
It is fully supported and actively developed for the Apple ecosystem. The entire company is based around the product and has a subscription business model, suggesting they are likely to be able to keep things going. The iOS and iPad apps work well and sync across from my Mac was always reliable. It actually uses iCloud behind the scenes which makes Apple Notes failure to sync more unusual.
Bear would be my recommendation for someone who was happy with staying on Mac/iOS. If needed, you can export to various different formats. I used it for a whole month (which is the length of the free trial – sync is not available in the free version) and it worked well.
The main reason I decided not to continue using it is that Bear uses a proprietary data format so it can sync with iCloud. This makes sense because their time is better spent on the app functionality rather than making cloud sync work, but I ultimately decided that I valued having open, plain text files more than the extra functionality. If I do eventually move to Windows then I would be unable to move my notes easily. Having an open format was the key to selecting iA Writer instead.
iA Writer
Although not designed for note taking, last year iA Writer added support for #hashtags (but only on Mac, not Windows) which makes it much more suitable as a notes app.
I really like the UI on macOS because it fits in perfectly with the system design guidelines. It is very lightweight, simple to use and fits all my criteria for editing files on disk with Markdown. It is very minimalist with few settings, forcing you to focus on the task at hand. There are also apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
iA Writer does not support attachments and the embedded image support is limited, but that actually forces you to store those files on disk (so files like PDFs can be searched by Spotlight and edited directly e.g. for highlighting, which doesn’t work if you open PDFs from within a Bear note). Naming becomes important for binary files like images so they can be properly searched.
If you use iA Writer on iOS with iCloud then deals with sync for you but there is a limitation with using external file sources such as OneDrive – you have to manually find and add files into the app to edit them, which is a hassle. Otherwise, files are stored on disk and so I can sync them with OneDrive and run my normal backups. Since they are plain text Markdown, I can edit them in any app.
I would like to see the ability to nest tags and add emoji to them, plus helpers for Markdown formatting e.g. linking to other notes and improved image support. However, those limitations are minor enough to overlook and pick iA Writer as my Apple Notes replacement.
VS Code + Markdown extensions
VS Code supports markdown out of the box, including with a live preview, however there are several extensions which add extra functionality.
The final plugin is the crucial one because it allows me to take advantage of organising my notes by tag. Of course, VS Code’s command bar is excellent at search so I could just navigate files by name (or text search), but it is sometimes useful to be able to see and view all associated notes in a list.
Unfortunately, the tag format supported by iA Writer – #hashtags – is not part of the Markdown format. Instead you will need to use the Markdown metadata format by including tags in a YAML block at the start of each file. The advantage of using this format is that it is generally supported by other Markdown parsers, so if I wanted to switch to something new in the future there is a greater chance of it being supported with no changes.
VS Code does use Electron behind the scenes. However, unlike many Electron apps, VS Code ties into the native UX of the OS it is running on and has acceptable performance. This is a rare example of a well-built Electron app, most of which are slow and buggy.
Other note taking apps I triedEvernote
Years ago this was the first notes app I ever used, however it was notoriously buggy and I gave up. The company has been through some challenging times but still uses a proprietary note format and database, which rules it out. I didn’t bother to try it because of the history of poor quality software.
Notable
Notable is still very early in development, and the rough edges show e.g. when copy/pasting it would paste text 3 times. It also uses Electron and has many weird UI elements showing through the cross-platform layer, for example the popover menus for attachments don’t have the same behaviour as menus should on macOS.
The management of attachments was not as good as Typora – it would copy them to an ‘attachments’ directory but the management of those files was very basic. Removing the attachment from the note did not delete it on disk.
This app is too early to take over such an important use case and has no clear business model yet (donations and a pending application to Y Combinator).
Obsidian
Obsidian fits all the requirements – simple, works with Markdown and cross-platform.
It supports #hashtags, but they are shown in order of number of items rather than alphabetically and strangely there is no way to change the order.
It has some good functionality around linking to other notes and backlinks so you can see which notes reference each other. This makes it more like an organiser than a simple Markdown editor.
The app is nicely designed, but uses Electron so is slow to launch and doesn’t fit into the native OS design as nicely as Bear or iA Writer. When you are using an app regularly, performance and UI consistency matters.
OneNote
Included with my Office365 subscription, OneNote has been improving rapidly and now has a much simpler UI and fast sync. One of the great features is character recognition in images, allowing them to be searched as if they were in plain text.
Notes can only be in a single section or Notebook (like Apple Notes) whereas I feel that tags are more flexible approach to organising things. OneNote supports tags but they are hard coded to specific types, which suggests there’s still a lot of legacy cruft still behind the scenes.
OneNote on the web looks good with the new simplified UI and the Mac app also works nicely, particularly with dark mode. However, compared to all the other notes apps it is always slow to launch. I find this lag exists with all Microsoft apps on Mac – they are very heavyweight.
Using it with Office365 creates the Notebook file in your OneDrive but this is just a URL file that opens the web UI when you load it. There’s no actual content in the file which means that OneNote is using a proprietary database behind the scenes.
Photo blur app mac. Although OneNote is a regularly updated application that works cross-platform (and has a decent app for iOS as well), the lack of open file format means I can’t back up the files and extract my data whenever I want. Like Apple Notes, there is no export functionality. I don’t want to move from Apple’s proprietary format to Microsoft’s, so this rules it out.
Typora
Typora was promising because it is a good Markdown editor with cross-platform apps that manages files on disk. I particularly liked how it managed attachments for notes, creating a .assets folder with the same name as the parent note. However, it doesn’t have very advanced file management features for the library/list of notes and there’s no support for tags.
It also uses Electron and I really hate Electron based apps. They remind me of Java apps that almost get the native OS style right, but not quite. They feel brittle, tend to have poor performance and I found that Typora was buggy (the macOS version is in beta). I understand why developers use Electron because it allows you to build cross-platform apps using web technologies, but I’ve had bad experiences with them e.g. the poor performance of Slack.
Worth a mention
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See also
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For those with multiple Macs, syncing files across computers can be a hassle. Many have a Mac at home, at work, and maybe one in a third location! Here, we’ll show you how to transfer files from Mac to Mac, share files between Macs, and move files from a cloud storage container to your Mac, locally.
Set up file sharing between Macs
The best solutions to connect two Macs to transfer, share and sync files. All in one pack, give it a go!
There are a number of different ways to transfer files from Mac to Mac or share them, depending on the tools you use to work on the file.
Transfer data between Macs online
The most popular way to transfer data between Macs is via the cloud. That could be via iCloud — Apple’s own apps use iCloud to sync between Macs and iOS devices logged into the same Apple ID — or, say, Dropbox. By saving files to your online cloud account rather than your local Mac, you’ll always be working on the most recent version of a document. Tools like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Docs work in a similar way — storing documents online so you can access them from anywhere.
Best Free File Sync Software
If you’ve ever wondered “how do I move files from iCloud to my Mac?,” we’ll show you.
Using a cloud storage solution like iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or any other service is like having an external drive you don’t have to actually carry around. Files can be stored there, and moved to any Mac you like, or multiple Macs. It’s a popular solution because cloud storage is available anywhere you go, and there’s no hardware to manage. The best solutions – like those mentioned above – can house any file type you have.
Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud all have the ability to select multiple files or folders for download. All you need to do is command-click or shift-click on the files you want to download, then choose the ‘download’ option. For Google Drive and Dropbox it’s on the right side of the screen. (Dropbox has a ‘download’ button; Drive has a three-dot menu with a ‘download’ option.)
For iCloud users, simply select the files you want to download, they choose the ‘download’ icon – a cloud with a downward-facing arrow – at the top center of the screen.
Cloud-based storage isn’t always the right solution. You may have large files or folders that exceed your cloud storage limit, or documents you want to view and edit locally on your Mac. These are a few occasions where you’ll need to store documents and files locally and sync them later. That could be because you work offline sometimes and need to be able to access documents or because you don’t want to store documents in the cloud.
There are solutions for that too. One of them is ChronoSync Express (above), which allows you quickly and easily synchronize files between two Macs. There are a number of caveats — the Macs you sync need to be running the same version of Mac OS and the applications on them should all be the same version. In addition, you should only synchronize files in your user Home folder, with the exception of files in the Library folder. There’s an excellent guide to syncing between two Macs using ChronoSync Express here.
If you’d rather take a more manual approach to sharing files, Forklift (below) can help. Designed as a tool for managing FTP servers, Forklift can also sync and transfer files from Mac to Mac on the same network. All you need to do is connect to the Mac using AFP or SMB, log in and add the folder you want to synchronize to your Favourites in Forklift. You can then use Forklift’s sync tool to ensure the same data is always in both folders.
Transfer files with AirDrop
When two Macs are within Bluetooth range of each other, Apple’s built-in AirDrop feature may help with file transfer. It’s most useful when transferring one file at a time, and isn’t perfect for larger files or folders. But when you need to send an image or document from one Mac to another in the same vicinity, AirDrop is a very decent tool.
Here’s how to use it:
For this to work well, both Macs should have their discoverability set to ‘Everyone.’ (It’s an option at the bottom of the screen, as seen below. You may be able to use the ‘contacts only’ setting, though this can be cumbersome when two Macs are using the same Apple ID.)
The upside to AirDrop is it can be used to send files to iPhones, iPads, or other Apple devices within range.
File Sharing
You can use built-in settings on your Mac to share files and folders with others in your network. It’s a good option for those who want to ‘own’ a document and allow others to edit them, or set particular users to have ‘read-only’ access. Here’s how:
This is a good option for those with multiple Macs, but has a few downsides. First, you have to manage the settings from one Mac. You may also forget that another Mac has read-only access to a folder, which has to be controlled from the ‘main’ Mac computer. That said, it’s okay for those with a few Macs which are always on the same network.
Tools to sync data to Mac
Download a set of apps to transfer files from Mac to Mac. Only the most secure solutions in the pack.
The Mac is meant to be portable, and we’re sure you’re mobile as well. That’s why we prefer Dropshare, a cloud hosting service that allows you to upload files and folders from your Mac. You can use its own cloud hosting, which is free with Setapp, or use Dropshare to access third-party storage such as Amazon S3. By dragging a folder onto Dropshare on one Mac and copying it from Dropshare on another Mac, you’ll ensure that all the files within it are in sync. You will, of course, need to remember to drag the most recent version of the folder to Dropshare whenever you move to the other Mac.
Another great app is Path Finder, a highly customizable file management app for power users. It integrates with Dropbox, and has a really clever queue for files you want to share to other Macs. This allows you to manage and share tons of files without accidentally sharing files with other computers that should remain private. The smart FolderSync feature helps you share files in batches, and syncs them across multiple computers or disks.
Sync folders between Macs
Syncing and sharing are similar, but have unique differences. Sharing allows you to share files managed by a user; syncing allows other Macs to add to a folder.
The aforementioned file sharing will sync files from one Mac to another, but using a cloud storage system to sync folders is smarter. https://ccvzyjz.weebly.com/subtitle-app-cho-mac.html. iCloud allows for this for Macs using the same iCloud account. Google Drive and Dropbox are better for managing shared folders for multiple users.
We prefer ChronoSync Express for syncing folders across multiple Macs. It has time-based event handling for backup and sync, and runs on any Mac with ChronoSync Express installed. It’s a great option for those who have multiple iMacs or Mac Pros that aren’t portable; if you have an iMac at work and a MacBook at home, ChronoSync Express is perfect.
How to move your content to a new Mac
Best notes app ios mac. Apple’s built-in Migration Assistant can help you transfer data from an old mac to a new one. We’ll walk you through the basics of using Migration Assistant.
On your new Mac:
On your old Mac:
On your new Mac:
Note: You may see a security code on your old and new Macs. Make sure they’re the same code, and proceed as the on-screen directions suggest.
Make sure your old and new Macs select each other as the original or destination source, and select ‘Continue’ in the window. The migration will start. Please note this process can take a day or longer, and you may be required to connect your Macs with a USB cable.
Before you begin this process, we suggest you use AnyTrans to backup your iPhone content. It makes porting content from an iPhone to your new Mac a breeze, and is a smart option when you decide to upgrade your iPhone.
Keeping files and folders synced is important. Apple’s own tooling makes it possible, but it’s pretty clumsy and limited. That’s why we prefer to manage and sync files through third-party apps.
Luckily, all the apps mentioned here – ChronoSync Express, Forklift, Dropshare, AnyTrans, and Path Finder – are available for free via a seven day trial of Setapp, the leading suite of productivity apps for the Mac. Once the free trial has ended, Setapp is only $9.99 per month for continued unlimited access to its full catalog of nearly 200 apps.
So there you go — lots of options for syncing files between two Macs, two iOS devices and even between a Mac and an iOS device. Choose the one that best meets your needs and give it a go.
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